Council looks to cut corners

6  Faced with a budget gap, the Vista City Council will meet Tuesday to discuss ideas for saving $7.7 million in the next fiscal year.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in the council chambers, 600 Eucalyptus Ave.

City Manager Rita Geldert said she will propose a number of options, including freezing vacant positions, cutting funding for events such as the Fourth of July, offering an early-retirement incentive, charging field fees for youth sports and implementing an employee furlough program that would result in City Hall being closed every Friday instead of every other Friday,

Geldert also will propose discontinuing construction of Brengle Terrace Dog Park and delaying replacement of street banners, among other ideas.

Layoffs would be a last resort, she said. Reductions in the number of firefighters and law enforcement officers are possible but low on the list of preferred options.

Vista’s general fund budget expenses are projected at $67 million for fiscal 2011. Costs for employee pensions, health care and other areas have increased while revenue is projected to drop, leaving the gap.